Beyond the Literal

An occasional post on the surprising lives of members

By Ainslie Paton

The Lily and the Lion is a novel by RWA members Catherine A Wilson and Catherine T Wilson – and that’s not a tautology or a misprint.

Catherine A and Catherine T met online by accident in 2003.  Their names were both included in a member’s chat loop broadcast email.  They noted each other’s names and a productive and creative friendship was begun.

The coincidences don’t stop there.  How’s this for serendipitous synchronicity:

• They live in similar geographical situations in NSW and QLD
• Their husbands share a middle initial making them both ‘Mr and Mrs D & C Wilson
• Both had two children, the eldest a boy and then a girl.
• Both boys have four letter biblical names- Adam and Luke
• Their girls are named Katrina and Tina.

In 2005 they turned their shared love of medieval history into a story which mirrored their relationship.  Their novel The Lily and the Lion was born.

It tells the story of two sisters, separated at infancy, one raised as a French noble and the other as a novice in Denny Abbey, England.  The young women learn of each other’s existence only to find themselves immersed into a world of political turbulence, intrigue, danger and romance.  The Lily and the Lion will be followed by The Order of the Lily and the two writers are currently working on the third in a series of four, The Roar of the Lion.

The Catherines completed two books by email, without ever meeting or even talking on the phone.  A Sydney film producer was so intrigued by their story when he learned they were about to meet for the first time, he captured it on film. The 20 minute DVD is available for viewing on their website www.lionsandlilies.com

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Posted by Ainslie Paton on November 10, 2012

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